Price Shopping?

I work in a garage and I get quite a few price shoppers. I was wanting to know why? Also do the peopel realize that if they stick to a single shop they will get better service, becasue they are a repeat cliant? I know price shopping comes with the trade, but what makes people think that a shop will give a free 4 hours diagnosis and then have the cliant go home and "fix" the problem themselves?

Price Shopping?
Americans are, by and large, cheap bastards. To most Americans I suspect "lowest price" and "best deal" mean the same thing.





Of course, that's rubbish.





My least favorite type of price shopper is the tire price shopper. About half of them are looking just for the cheapest tire they can get - something I can't fathom living as deep as I do in the snow belt. So they get a price on some cheap Chinese no-name import that you'll have to get all the mechanics in the shop to help push you off the lot in 1" of snow and I have to compete with that turd when I insist on only carrying quality product. But these folks don't care about quality. All they care about is a price tag even though they won't remember what they paid within a week.





Or there's my all-time favorite; It's just my teenage daughters car so give me the cheapest thing you've got.





On the other end there's the high-end stuff. Michelins for example are already very expensive. My store isn't a Michelin dealer so we have to get them from a wholesaler if a customer wants them. We've got a local Michelin dealer that just whore's these things out - making only a few % per tire because they get kickbacks later on. I'm already paying probably 10% more per tire than he is because I buy the same tires wholesale, not direct, but I have to match that price for the customer anyway. The other day I had an $800 tire sale with a whopping $24 in profit! A half dozen sales a day like that will put me out of business!
Reply:I have been a mechanic(work as..) my whole life.


I recently retired.


I still own a shop with ten mechanics and three secretaries. employees.





lucky me, and thanks to my employees,my shop is always customers service oriented.





we never think of money, because ,what we always have is people on distress.


more than, I tell my customers, that if they are not in distress don't come to the shop.consult the secretary by phone. and fixed your self. and you can ask by phone to the shop as many times as You please. no charge for that.


my customers save money on me .


but,I charge, for labor, big time money in the shop,You need to do appointment five month in advance.





mine, is the best dame shop in town.
Reply:everybodys out to save a buck,,lets face it ,, don,t tell people how to fix there car ,,just let them know you can do it for them,,and save them $ .treat them right,,and good service,,and they will come back
Reply:Tell them you charge for some diagnostic time and apply it to their bill when they get it fixed at your shop. However, set up your shop so you can quickly break out separate quotes of the parts and labor costs and the total cost by using the internet connection to your parts supplier. Note on the quote that if other problems are discovered as the car is repaired, you will contact them by phone if the cost exceeds more than 10% extra of the total cost quoted. Mention the quality after market parts brand you provide and the guarantee on your work.